On the Cutting Board

On Friday, I chalked and cut a two-piece suit for a client. The process took a little longer than usual because I needed to be careful to cut the cloth in such a way as to allow the checks to match at certain points on the coat and trousers. I also used a new pair of large shears for the first time and it took some getting used to.

The cloth is a beautiful light weight Super 130s wool from AristΩn. The coat will feature a single-breasted cut with two front buttons, and slim (2 1/2") lapels. I look forward to working with this silky smooth cloth.

 

Christmas Comes Late

I'm naturally suspicious of a tailor who is not very well dressed himself. It's far more reassuring to a client when meeting with a prospective tailor that they can see not only a good sample of the tailor's work, but also his confidence and satisfaction in wearing the product of his own craftsmanship.

Lately I've invested a great deal of time working on my clients' orders, and I was hoping for a break of time during which I could turn to a personal project. With 15" of snow (and counting) on the ground outside, new cloth stuck in transit, and all my other current projects finished at one stage or another, that break finally arrived. A month after Christmas, I've finished the first baste of a gift to myself: a new suit for the autumn and winter months.

I picked out the cloth months ago, and I've been dying to work with it ever since. It's a 13-14 ounce dark grey worsted wool from Dugdale's "English and Town Classics" bunch. As anticipated, it's been a joy to work with. The cloth's thickness contributes to a beautiful, natural drape over the bodily figure (especially down the front break line of the trousers), and it stretches and shrinks perfectly with modest encouragement.

As soon as I can recruit a friend to lend me a hand, I'll undertake the first fitting.

A New Project for an Old Design

A while back, I wrote about a client's wish to have a double-breasted waistcoat patterned after one worn by Terry Benedict's character in Ocean's Eleven. It's been difficult finding a suitable silk brocade fabric, so that project is temporarily on hold while we continue searching for the right material.

In the intervening time, we have decided to create a second vest using the original design. Instead of using a fancy silk, this second version will be cut from traditional suiting material. Because the client wants to wear this piece as an odd waistcoat (he will pair it with a variety of suits in his wardrobe), we chose a very versatile dark gray herringbone cloth. The cloth is an ultrafine Super 160s luxury wool from Huddersfield's Denby Dale collection. It's a perfect selection for the planned vest not only because of the color and pattern, but also because of the silky-smooth texture and weight. At 8-9 oz, it will remain cool on the wearer despite the close-fitting and double-breasted cut that might otherwise be too warm for regular use.

This vest has a touch of flair on the inside that few observers will notice. While a silver paisley lining will be used for the visible part of the backing, gold paisley will line the inside of the vest, and a gold coral paisley will line the inside of the pockets.

Saturday Morning Bespoke

With a large cup of coffee, of course.  Featured: a navy blazer cut in a superfine wool from Huddersfield Cloth.

Tweed Season Is Coming

Autumn soon approaches, and with it arrives Tweed Season. Experienced customers will know to place their orders for seasonal pieces 4-6 months in advance to ensure that their jacket or suit is ready in time. Here, I am working on a two-piece country tweed suit that is expected to be completed in October, just as the temperature begins to decline here in our Nation's Capital.

The brown herringbone tweed cloth is a well-established classic that is about 13-14 ounces in weight. The coat will be finished with a three-button front and patch pockets, which will give it both a classic and casual look.

I will soon undertake the pad-stitching of the lapel which will help create a very natural roll. These stitches will help retain the roll of the lapel for the life of the garment. I look forward to finishing this project.

 

Double-breasted Waistcoat

This waistcoat is the first part of a three-piece suit. It is nearly ready for a first fitting. When I am making a three-piece suit, I like to start with the waistcoat because it is easier to construct than the jacket and it gives me the first opportunity to work with the selected fabric and learn how workable and stretchable it is. In this case, I am using a medium weight gray wool fabric with white chalk stripes.

I am pleased with this particular cloth not only because of the appealing wide-stripe pattern, but also because the fabric is very workable which will come in handy when I am shaping the back of the jacket (to accommodate the protrusion of the shoulder blades) and the waistlines. Shaping of the cloth is a very important process where a tailor uses his iron to stretch the fabric in certain areas to fit the contours of the body. In essense, it helps create shape that cannot otherwise be molder or sculpted by darts, hems, and seams. Different fabrics feature different characteristics in this respect. For example, a cotton fabric is not very workable, while woolens and flannels prove much more amenable to shaping.

Here is how we have arrived at this current stage:

 

 

Have Needle - Will Travel

 A couple months ago, I accepted a commission to design and create a custom vest for a young business finance analyst who is interested in crafting his professional wardrobe.  He has already collected an excellent foundation of everyday suits for the office, but he has been craving a custom piece whose expression is both powerful and unique.  Finding inspiration in the popular film Ocean's Eleven, my client has requested a waistcoat very similar to that worn by the cold-hearted and robotic casino owner Terry Benedict.

The vest is worn by Benedict with his evening tuxedo as he mingles on the floor of his casino.  The waistcoat is noteworthy for its high mandarin-like collar, the black satin fabric, and its double-breasted cut.  Though the audience is only teased by fleeting glimpses, the vest is really quite a sharp look.

Note the high collar which conceals most of the silk neckwear.

 

The sheen of the cloth and its intricate design are both visible from a distance.

My client wishes to replicate the style with a few personal touches that make the vest more flexible for combination with a variety of suits on a number of different occasions.  The formality of Benedict's vest restricts its use to evening wear alone.

 

I made time over the holidays to travel to my client who lives in another city.  There we conducted the first formal consultation.  We had discussed the project over the phone and by email, but for the first time I was able to sit down with him and sketch conceptual drawings while we worked out the finer details.  I find it's extremely important to provide visual aides to my customers in order to help them determine what exactly they desire.  Verbal description alone can only accomplish so much, and I always enjoy a bit of drawing.

 

After we've nailed down the most important design specifications, I set about taking the necessary measurements which will be used to create the pattern for the vest.  In all, I noted about two dozen dimensions.

 

My present task surrounds the acquisition of the selected fabric.  When you don't have your own brick and mortar shop, the entire consultation process can be painstaking and time consuming.  But while I await the shipment of the fabric, I'm busy converting the measurements into a workable paper pattern that will be ready for the chalking and cutting the cloth as soon as it arrives.  Relying on my notes, I will lightly baste most of the garment together at which time I will meet with the client again for a first fitting.  Despite the amount of travel that will be required to bring the vest to completion, I look forward to crafting this item in the weeks to come.  I'll share pictures as the project unfolds.

 

Careful measurements will contribute to an excellent fit.